


Nobody

by impulsive_astrophile



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Birthdays, F/M, Fluff, Fox Mulder deserves nice things, Hurt/Comfort, No betas we own our mistakes and cry about them like men, Pre-Relationship, and he and Scully deserve to be happy, post-cancer arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:15:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27012631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impulsive_astrophile/pseuds/impulsive_astrophile
Summary: He seems genuinely confused. “Scully, what’s all this?”Scully smiles at him, that wide one that makes his knees weak. “Happy birthday, Mulder.”“Scully…” his voice breaks, eyes stinging as he comes closer, “you didn’t have to do all of this.”
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 22
Kudos: 59





	Nobody

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a conversation I had recently in an xf Discord about how Mulder would feel about his birthday. No idea where the cancer arc detail came from but what can ya do?
> 
> Technically written before his birthday was over!

Scully is almost giddy as she strides down the hallway to Mulder’s apartment, the Lone Gunmen clanging around behind her. Frohike bickers with Langly about being clumsy, Byers tries to get them both to be quiet. Scully smiles.

She’d been planning to do something for Mulder’s birthday for months, ever since her cancer had gone into remission -- to celebrate another year of his life after she’d gotten back her own -- and had recruited the Lone Gunmen earlier in the week when she’d finally decided what she wanted to do. 

Arriving at his door, Scully gestures for the men to wait further down the hall and raises her fist to knock. “Mulder, it’s me.” 

A few seconds later he’s at the door, breathless. “Scully, what’s wrong? You’re not... feeling sick again are you?”

She hears his voice shake and her heart aches a little. She knows he’s still worried that the smoking man lied, that her cancer will come back and he’ll really lose her this time. 

She puts her hand on his arm, meeting his panicked gaze. “Mulder, no. Everything’s okay. I’m okay.” 

Mulder looks her over for a second, reassuring himself, before breathing out a sigh of relief. “What is it, Scully?” He ushers her inside. “I thought you said we’d talk on Monday. You seemed pretty anxious to get out of the office.” 

She hears the unspoken ‘and away from me’ loud and clear; suddenly understands why he’s been so mopey all week. 

One tearful night, a few days after she went into remission, he’d begged her to quit or transfer - anything to get away from him before his crusade killed her. She’d told him firmly that she wasn’t going anywhere, that she was right where she belonged; but this week she’d been distant, leaving the office at 5 pm sharp every day to get things ready for Mulder’s surprise. It must’ve seemed like she had changed her mind and was trying to ease him into it.

She almost, almost tells him. But she wants to see the look on his face when he sees everything laid out. So she settles for the next best thing. “I just wanted to see you,” she says honestly. 

Mulder softens, his face losing some of the creases that had been deepening all week. He guides her to the couch, hand sliding to  _ his _ place on her lower back. A little knot in her releases - she hadn't realized she'd missed that so much until now. "Make yourself comfortable," he says, heading toward his bedroom, "while I make myself look a little less like a twenty-year-old bachelor." Scully snorts. The greasy shirt and boxers that looked like they’d been around since the Reagan administration  _ were  _ pushing it.

Once he’s safely out of the room, she rushes to the front door and ushers the boys in, who set up as efficiently as if they were scanning for bugs. 

Maybe they are. 

But by the time Mulder comes back into the room, Langly, Byers, and Frohike have pushed each other out the door and closed it quietly, leaving Scully behind to wait for Mulder. 

Still damp from his shower, an oxford tee and blue jeans stick to Mulder in all the right places. Scully bites her lip. “Hey Scully, do you want to order some takeout? The pizza place on Main is doing a special--” he stops short, taking in the ensemble in front of him. 

Scully sits on the couch next to a neatly wrapped package, the coffee table in front of her boasting a large meal, a cake, and some wine. 

He seems genuinely confused. “Scully, what’s all this?” 

Scully smiles at him, that wide one that makes his knees weak. “Happy birthday, Mulder.”

“Scully…” his voice breaks, eyes stinging as he comes closer, “you didn’t have to do all of this.”

“I know I didn’t, Mulder.” Scully frowns. “I wanted to.” 

To her horror, Mulder starts crying, sinking down onto the couch with his face in his hands. She’s on him in an instant, hand on his shoulder, back, neck. “What’s wrong, Mulder? I didn’t mean to upset you.” 

She coaxes his hands away from his face, tucking it into the crook of her neck as she pulls him closer. He wraps his arms around her, holding her tightly. “Scully, I could’ve lost you this year,” he says tearfully, words muffled by her shirt.

“But you didn’t,” Scully soothes, running her fingers through his hair. 

He shakes his head, pulling back to look at her, trying to make her understand. “Scully, I could’ve lost you this year, and  _ you’re  _ doing all this for  _ me _ .”

_ Oh. _ “Mulder,” she begins, tender but firm, “I know you still blame yourself for my cancer. And I know I can’t convince you otherwise,” she continues as he opens his mouth to argue, “but I’m in remission. I can get through the day without feeling tired, and my muscle mass is coming back. I’m okay,” she stresses. “I wanted to do something nice for you for your birthday, Mulder, because I lived to see it and because you deserve it.” 

He looks like he’s about to start crying again; chooses instead to turn toward the table and indicate questioningly toward the food laid out.

“It’s from your favorite Italian place near the office. The Gunmen helped me get it all here.” 

Mulder smiles at the mention of the Gunmen, wondering how much hell they gave her trying to help their way and how much she gave them trying to get them organized. Then he remembers about the box, picking it up. “And this?”

Scully smiles, the same one from earlier. “Open it.” 

He does, slowly, as if afraid the paper might crumble in his hands, then holds its contents out in front of him. Neither of them know yet that later he will fold the paper back up and keep it tucked away for years to remind him of this moment. “Scully, is this what I think it is?” He asks, reverent. 

Scully nods. “They all signed it.” She points out all the signatures on the jersey. “And it took some doing,” she continues, eyes gleaming, “but you’re going to meet them. Tomorrow.” 

If someone were to see Mulder’s expression in that moment, they’d think Scully hung the stars. “Scully…” He grasps the jersey in his hands, tearing up again. “Thank you. No one’s ever done this for me.” 

Her heart aches as she hears the break in his voice. He’d always seemed cavalier about his birthday, whenever he remembered it, and she figured he was just one of those people. 

As she pulls him in and his tears soak her shirt again, she curses herself for not doing something for him sooner, and curses the people in his life for not caring about him beyond how he could benefit them. She presses a kiss to his temple, running her hand through his hair, and vows to herself that she will be the first person in his life to treat him right. 

When he pulls back, eyes red-rimmed and swollen, he tells her, “I love you.”

She smiles. “I know.” Her hand cups his jaw. “I love you too.” 

They don’t kiss. She knows he’s not ready for that when his response is, “the food’s getting cold” and a panicked look. 

“It’s okay, Mulder.” She knows this night has been a lot for him. She can wait. “We can heat it up.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one, but I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading :).
> 
> Come say hi @impulsive-astrophile on Tumblr!


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